Langston Hughes Essay -- essays research papers fc

Langston Hughes Throughout many of Langston Hughes' poetry, there seems to be a very strong theme of racism. Poems such as "Ballad of the Landlord", "I, Too", and "Dinner Guest: Me" are some good examples of that theme. The "Ballad of the Landlord" addresses the issue of prejudice in the sense of race as well as class. The lines "My roof has sprung a leak. / Don't you 'member I told you about it/ Way last week?" (Hughes 2/4) show the reader that the speaker, the tenant, is of a much lower class than his landlord. It also shows that the landlord could care less of what condition his building is in as long as the money is still coming in. "Well, that's Ten Bucks more'n I'll pay you / Till you fix this house up new." (Hughes 11/12) shows that the speaker may be cleverer than originally thought because he is hitting the landlord right where it hurts: his wallet. At this point it seems that the speaker may actually win and get his home fixed up, until he threatens the landlord in fifth stanza. That’s when it all turns around. The landlord uses that threat to get the speaker, who we now find out, is black, thrown in jail. Richard K. Barksdale wrote "in 1940, ['Ballad of the Landlord'] was a rather innocuous rendering of an imaginary dialogue between a disgruntled tenant and a tight-fisted landlord." He then goes on to comment about the literature having once again pitted the haves against the have-nots. According to him, the landlord / tenant confrontation was "just another i...

Defenders Of Art And Life Differ On Everything In Between

In Robert Browning's â€Å"Fra Lippo Lippi†, a 15th century painter discusses the illogic of his patrons who want him to paint less of the real world—in turn for more spiritually uplifting scenes.   This poem gives Browning a platform to put forward his philosophy on art, which holds equal respect for the high and the low alike.   Similarly, in â€Å"Why The Novel Matters†, D. H. Lawrence forms a postulation that there is more to life than just the label of â€Å"spirit†.   But he goes further to say that there is a difference between that which is alive, and that which is inanimate.He contends life is more important—and a well-written novel is the equivalent of life.   He puts novels on a pedestal, while everything else is lesser than the living things.   Browning's character Lippi, however, while also detesting the barrier of the word â€Å"spirit† , does not go so far as to say the material mortar of the world is somehow more imp ortant than the soul.   He merely defends its equivalence.   He does not believe his paintings are more important than living things; he believes that they share equal value.Although Lawrence is willing to include the human body in with the word â€Å"spirit†Ã¢â‚¬â€he draws a line at the fingertips, and calls everything else (except for the novel) of lesser substance; alternately, Lippi is more liberal in his view, for he does not dwell overlong on the delineation between life and immaterial things—but just on their symbiosis.   Ultimately, Lippi is more humble about his art and life in general.For Lippi, painting for his patrons is only half of a life: carousing about town is the other part.   This is why he regularly escapes for release from the dogged work.   Although the religious service is a career for him, he cannot sustain it without proper romps on the town.   Therefore, by living in worlds both saintly and debauched, Lippi is able to see through the Prior's facade, when he is asked to only paint the spirit—not the body.   The Prior says: â€Å"Your business is not to catch men with show †¦Ã‚   Your business is to paint the souls of men† (Lines 175-184).   Lippi, however, would rather include everything in his art, and therefore more accurately reflect the world—and make better use of art.   â€Å"Now is this sense, I ask?†(198) Lippi says.â€Å"Why can't a painter lift each foot in turn, †¦ Make his flesh liker and his soul more like †¦ You should not take a fellow eight years old / And make him swear to never kiss the girls.†(224-225).   Lippi rails against simplifying existence into a word or an image: â€Å"The world and life's too big to pass for a dream †¦Ã‚   The only good of grass is to make chaff†(251-257).   Lippi cannot settle for a narrow view of the order of things—while Lawrence only partly concedes that there is more to â€Å"spiri t† than just vapor.  Lawrence contests that life's ether is as vital as the shell—and by singling out, labeling—or falsely idolizing any one part of its essence, we are hindering ourselves from fully living.   For instance, Lawrence rants on the fallacy of labels: â€Å"We think of ourselves as a body with a spirit in it †¦ Mens sana in corpore sano.   The years drink up the wine, and at last throw the bottle away, the body, of course, being the bottle†(2446).   Indeed, Lippi's dead shell of a horse is Lawrence's empty bottle of spirits—and the two of them seem to agree that definitions of the â€Å"spirit† are just distractions from the truth of existence.Lawrence, however, sets aside one exception, being that the Bible itself, when read as an entire piece, achieves some spirit similar to that of the humankind: â€Å"The Bible †¦Ã‚   [It sets] the whole tree trembling with a new access of life, [it does] not just stimulate growth in one direction†(2448).   Herein lies one key difference, then, between Lippi and Lawrence, which is that Lawrence makes exception for the novel as being at the rank of a living entity—while Lippi does not go so far as to suggest that art is exclusive from the rest of the lifeless world, although he does believe it is as important as life.   After all, Lawrence says the novel can â€Å"make the whole man alive tremble.Which is more than poetry, philosophy, science, or any other book-tremulation can do†(2448).   Moreover, while he does not specifically call out painting as one of the lesser â€Å"tremulations†, it seems safe to say this is implied—since he even excludes poetry from his sacred circle of life—which, ironically, is the medium through which Browning's Lippi is experienced.   In contrast, Lippi says that life's everyday details are â€Å"better, painted—better to us †¦ Art was given for that†(300 -304).—and again, Lippi does not put art above life—only beside it.   He says: â€Å"Do you feel thankful, aye or no, / For this fair town's face, yonder river's line, †¦ What's it all about? / To be passed over, despised? or dwelt upon†(286-291).Of course, Lawrence, does distinguish the particularization of his own body, and how each part is equal to the whole—but nothing beyond himself: â€Å"Why should I imagine that there is a me which is more me than my hand is?†(2446).   But Lawrence's â€Å"me alive† theory excludes the static objects of the order of things as merely props—that are not to be confused with life or novels.Ultimately, Lippi sees no place for the soul without the bodily elements, and rhetorically argues: â€Å"What need of art at all? A skull and bones, / Two bits of stick nailed crosswise†(321).   Lawrence, however, sees the various mediums of communication as â€Å"words and thoughts and sighs and aspirations that fly from [us], they are so many tremulations in the ether†(2447).   Lawrence merely concedes that the lifeless elements are â€Å"tremulations† that may â€Å"reach another man alive† and â€Å"he may receive them into his life, and his life may take on a new color†(2447).So, while Lawrence agrees with Lippi that the baser elements are important, he goes on at length to flesh out the reasons why life and the novel are substantially more important:   â€Å"All things that are alive are amazing.   And all things that are dead are subsidiary to the living†(2447).   He builds a wall between life and the novel—and the rest of existence: â€Å"I, who am man alive, am greater than my soul†(2447).   In this way then, while Lawrence agrees with Lippi that the parts cannot be distinguished from the whole, without excluding the essence—he differs in that he goes further to impose a privileged position upon th e energy of life and novels, whereas Lippi simply thinks that art and the lesser units ought to have equal exposure in the spotlight life.So Lawrence is circular in his theory, insisting â€Å"spirit† is limiting in its language—while touting the transcending power of the novel.   Indeed, despite arguing that limitations abound under labels, and that any â€Å"particular direction ends in a cul-de-sac†(2448)–Lawrence is still making divisions: â€Å"A character in a novel has got to live, or it is nothing†¦.   We likewise, in life have got to live, or we are nothing†(2449).  Ã‚   Plus, he is proud of his specialness as an artist, in a way that Lippi is too humble ever to approach: â€Å"Being a novelist, I consider myself superior to the saint, the scientist, the philosopher, and the poet, who are all great masters of different bits of man alive, but never get the whole hog†(2448).Ultimately then, at the root of their respective p hilosophies on art and life, Lippi is more adverse to divisions of all kinds, not putting himself or his art above the world, put equal to it.   One senses that he is not likely anymore proud of himself than the subjects he paints about, while Lawrence is more proud of the novels he writes than the objects described in them.

Impact of Social Networking Websites on Business

IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES ON BUSINESS | Asheri George MatembeleApril 16, 2013| Table of Contents Abstract2 Introduction3 Literature Review3 Comparison of Social Networking Websites5 Benefits of using social network websites for business6 How to Use Social Networking Websites for Business8 Problems Associated with Social Networking Websites10 Conclusion10 References11 AbstractA social networking website is a social structure build-up of individuals or organizations called â€Å"nodes†, which are connected by one or more specific types of mutuality, such as friendship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike relationships of beliefs, knowledge, prestige and information. This paper focuses on social networking websites and their impact on business. It aims to identify opportunities and ways to be effective as promoters of businesses to Internet users all over the world, 24 hours and 7 days, creating unlimited possibilities for advertising potential.This paper revi ews the best social networking websites currently used as well as examples of ways in which business can use these types of websites to expand their target markets. This article also gives insight about the threats and challenges associated with social networking websites, as well as things for businesses to watch out for if they determine to use these types of websites. Social networking websites will continue to shape the ways in which businesses collaborate and communicate, both inside and outside of enterprise.Introduction A social networking website consists of a social structure build-up of individuals or organizations called â€Å"nodes†, connected by one or more specific types of mutuality, such as friendship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike relationships of beliefs, knowledge, prestige and information (McLaughlin, 2012). This paper focuses on social networking websites and their impact on business. It aims to identify opportunities and ways to be effecti ve as promoters of businesses to internet users.Social media are a platform for business visibility. Keywords create a marketing buzz. The most relevant social networking websites currently used are reviewed first and ways in which businesses can use these types of websites to expand their target markets considered next. Some of the threats and challenges associated with social networking websites as well as red flags for businesses to watch out are then discussed. Literature Review – What is Social Networking Website?A social networking website is an online service or website filled with millions of individuals who are seeking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information and their experiences about golfing, gardening, cooking, developing friendships or professional alliances, seeking employment, marketing such as advertising, get customer’s feedbacks and even groups sharing information. It is an online service, website or platform that focuses on b uilding and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities.Social Network Services are also increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. – Facebook Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, while he was a student at Harvard in 2004 and originally called thefacebook and that domain was registered by someone else back in 1997. The general concept was to digitize the legendary freshman-year â€Å"Facebook,† and allow students not only to gawk at one another’s photos but also to flirt, network, interact.Eventually, the web site moved beyond college to everyone and nearly 1 billion people have a Facebook profile. Facebook users can create a profile page that shows their friends and networks information about them-selves. The choice to include a profile in a network means that everyone within that network can view the profile. The profile typically includes Friends, Friends from other Networks, Information, Status, Notes, Groups, Likes, Photos, Videos and The Wall which is the major feature of Facebook. – Google+Google+ is basically Google's latest attempt at creating a social network. Unlike with Facebook where uploading a post will show up on user’s profile for all of user’s friends to see, Google+ lets users do things a little differently. Circles, Sparks, Hangouts, Instant Upload and Huddle are major features of Google+. The concept of Circles is user can have a family Circle, a BFF Circle, a co-workers Circle, and even an â€Å"Epic bros† Circle. Sparks is a feature that lets users select certain areas, interests or hobbies that user particularly like.Google+ Hangouts are quick video â€Å"conferences† that enabling broadcasters to go live with friends and fans, for around the world to see. Instant upload which lets users take a photo and instantly upload it to a priva te album in the cloud server. Huddle is one of the best features of Google+ is Huddle, which lets users coordinate with friends and family in real-time. * Twitter? Twitter was started out as a micro-blogging website has quickly grown into a social messaging platform and one of the top social networks in the world that allows users answer the question, â€Å"What are users doing? by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called â€Å"tweets†, to their friends, or â€Å"followers†. Twitter is phenomenon that transcends social networking to provide an outlet for news, trends, buzz, and chat among many other uses. Twitter is a combination of various forms of communication such as email, instant messenger, VOIP like as Skype, Blogs and distribute content rapidly on the web through RSS feeds. – LinkedIn LinkedIn is a social networking website designed specifically for the business community with over 120 million members which were officially launched i n May 2003.A LinkedIn member’s profile page, which emphasizes their working experiences and education background, has professional network news feeds and a limited number of customizable modules. Network members are also known as â€Å"connections† and unlike other social networking websites such as Facebook or Twitter. LinkedIn needs connections to have a pre-existing relationship. The members of can seek for jobs, join groups, research companies, and network with members of their network. Companies can post information about the company and career opportunities listings on company pages.Companies can also establish the connection with LinkedIn members for recruiting purposes. – MySpace MySpace is a popular online social networking website that composed of personal profiles aimed for mostly at a younger membership. It is extremely popular with teenagers and young adults. It allows users to post images of their self, blog about their ideas and concerns, and post comments on other users’ profiles. MySpace included features such as chat rooms, forums, classified ads, newsgroups and a venue for sharing videos or music like as other online social networking websites.A MySpace profile can be a very important connection to fans of celebrities because MySpace was originally founded as a venue for aspiring musicians and bands to share music and concert dates. The variety of details included in the profile is submitted voluntarily by users. MySpace is easy to use for anyone to submit profile information, even if they have lack of online experience. Comparison of Social Networking Websites There are several different social networking websites and hard to decide which are best for the business. Following figures and tables will give insight to choose suitable one for business somehow.Figure 1: Number of registered users on Major Social Networking Websites According â€Å"Figure: 1†, vast amount of users are registered in Facebook. Goog le+ and Twitter has only 25% of number of Facebook’s registered users. Businesses can be reached many targeted users on the Facebook easily more than other social networking websites. Figure 2: Percentage of Gender distribution by major social networking websites Benefits of using social network websites for business Businesses are getting insight about the benefits of using social networking websites to retain and attract customers.They began to see that their competitors are taking many advantages because of using social networking efforts, they quickly followed suit. Nowadays most of the businesses can be found on asocial networking websites. They are communicating with their customers and clients via social networking websites. They are updating their information or statuses and occasionally acting like they are a part of community. For some people, interacting with businesses on social networking websites gives them an opportunity to experience first-hand how that compan y deals with the public.Most people are becoming accustomed to receiving customer support via a social network. Social networking websites can break the barriers of customer contact significantly so that businesses are using social networks to help their marketing campaigns. For businesses that are willing to shoulder the load, this new medium represents an opportunity in order to keep in touch with customers and update them constantly about companies’ information. This represents are an unprecedented opportunity for businesses which are willing to add values and engaging with customers.The benefits of social networking for business cannot be underestimated as it becomes a crucial component to business. The benefits of using social networking for business are as follows: – Online Presence and Branding Business can create their profile in social networking sites and allows people to see their brand or products and get awareness from user that their business exists. They can post valuable content to those web sites to attract the users. – Customer Service and Engagement Social networking provides a channel for business to interact with their customers and enables customers to provide feedback on the marketing message quickly.It provides as a useful tool to have a direct conversation with their customer base and see patterns of customer’s feedback. It also gives company a platform to be creative in using different social media tools to engage their customers and gain their loyalty to the business. – Lower Cost/Free Advertising Businesses can advertise their products and services for free or at lower costs when they make full use of social networking sites. Social networking sites can be used as a media which help companies find new customers and break the barriers of customer contact. – Find Business Partners or EmployeesAt social networking sites, businesses can find out new business partners, employees, other brands and even their competitor. Businesses can send out messages to notify people they are hiring or accepting applications and they can use these social networking sites to seek out employees. How to Use Social Networking Websites for Business Businesses can establish and maintain business relationships with colleagues and their customers on social networking websites. Some firms are taking it further still and using social networking sites to actively promote themselves and their businesses.Businesses have a number of ways to develop unique advertising methods on each social networking websites and those websites offer several avenues such as the banner ad advertising, creating a profile and page or creating events and groups. * Banner Ad Advertising? Banner Ad advertising is a most popular and majority of advertising method on the Internet. Most of social networking websites have that kind of advertising method and running on every web page which a user must access to view messages, comm ents, and others’ profiles.Often these ads are animated or still images, making them users to see and click on them. eMarketer reported that the global revenue of banner ad advertising from social networks is expected to reach $10 billion by 2013. Figure 3: Social Networking Websites’ Ad Revenues Internationally Figure 4: Percentage Change of Social Networking Websites’ Ad Revenues Internationally – Creating a Profile and Page Many companies have profiles on social networking websites and the information on a profile reflect on those businesses.Therefore they post or upload about their services or products so that users may view them and engaging for clients. This would be a way to keep in touch with their customers for businesses. At the companies’ profile, the user could post concerns, comments, and ideas while viewing blogs on product updates. Companies can review the likes, interests and expressed needs of their customer base from profiles. The y can also use this information to determine how customers’ profile characteristics fit into their marketing targets. Creating groups and Events Another way to use social networking websites is the creation of groups or events according company’s product or service. Moreover, the business can create a group of people who like or interest the product and open discussion forums so that users can share about their experience with the products. Most of the social networking websites are allowed users to create events and those events could be sponsored by the company. The social networking website’s users are partically doing the advertising for the company. Problems Associated with Social Networking WebsitesMost of the businesses concern about privacy and security issues in social networking websites. This is the majority problem since the purpose of social networking websites is for public for personal reasons, a person’s whose privacy is compromised suffer s much distress. Increasing of hacking the account is also another problem suffered by social networking websites. Even though it is a problem, can be protected by user reducing the amount of their personal information they post on the internet. Some of social networking websites services do not agree security is not a major problem.Although many social networking websites have enhanced their security and privacy system, much remains out in the open for regular predators to harm and affect the lives of others. The purpose of visiting social networking websites for most of the people is for their personal reasons or for leisure. So that businesses should realize how to be contributing about their information among users with lack of risk and beware of the personal space of the users. Conclusion Social networking websites are becoming popular among current generation.Even there are many opportunities as well as challenges of social networking websites for business. Most important step for any business is to create a policy of using social networking websites. Businesses are struggling with rapidly developing of technology. Technology is constantly changing the way of doing business at internet and businesses should be aware of these changes. It is in the best interests of a company to know what social networking websites are suitable to its References Daniel Nations, The Top Social Networking Sites, AUG 12, 2012, from http://webtrends. about. om/od/socialnetworking/a/ social_network. htm Darren McLaughlin, Benefits Of Social Networking Websites For Business, AUG 20, 2012, from http://mosthostserver. com/? p=5118 Google+: A Basic Cheatsheet for Marketers, AUG 19, 2012, from http://www. sociableblog. com/2011/10/04/googlepl us-cheatsheet-for-marketers/ Jennifer Bergen, Google+: What is it, and how do I get it? , AUG 15, 2012, from http://www. geek. com/articles/mobile/google-what- is-it-and-how-do-i-get-it-20110628/ Part of the Internet acronyms and lingo glossary , LinkedIn, AUG 15, 2012, from http://whatis. techtarget. om/definition/LinkedIn Part of the Internet applications glossary, MySpace, AUG 17, 2012, from http://whatis. techtarget. com/definition/MySpace Using social networking sites for business marketing: Advantages and disadvantages, AUG 25, 2012, from http://brooger. com/using-social- networking-sites-for-business-marketing- advantages-and-disadvantages/ What is Facebook? , AUG 12, 2012, from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-facebook. htm What Is Social Networking? , AUG 12, 2012, from http://www. brickmarketing. com/what-is-social- networking. htm What is Twitter? , AUG 15, 2012, from http://mashable. com/what-is-twitter/

Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase

Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase was one of the largest land deals in history. In 1803, the United States paid approximately $15 million dollars to France for more than 800,000 square miles of land. This land deal was arguably the greatest achievement of Thomas Jeffersons presidency, but it also posed a major philosophical problem for Jefferson.​ Thomas Jefferson, the Anti-Federalist Thomas Jefferson was strongly anti-federalist. Although he participated in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, he did not author the Constitution. Instead, the Constitution was mainly written by Federalists such as James Madison. Jefferson spoke against a strong federal government and instead advocated states rights. He feared tyranny of any kind and only recognized the need for a strong, central government in terms of foreign affairs. He was concerned that the Constitution did not address the liberties that were protected by the Bill of Rights and did not call for term limits for the president. Jeffersons philosophy regarding the role of the central government is most clearly seen when investigating his disagreement with Alexander Hamilton over the creation of a national bank. Hamilton was a staunch supporter of a strong central government. A national bank was not expressly mentioned in the Constitution, but Hamilton thought that the elastic clause (U.S. Const. art. I,  § 8, cl. 18) gave the government the power to create such a body. Jefferson completely disagreed. He held that all powers given to the national government were enumerated or expressed. If they were not expressly mentioned in the Constitution, then they were reserved to the states. Jeffersons Compromise In completing the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson had to put aside his principles because this type of transaction was not expressly mentioned in the Constitution. Had he waited for a constitutional amendment, however, the deal might have fallen through. With the support of the American people, Jefferson decided to go through with the purchase. Jefferson needed to move quickly when he discovered that Spain had signed a secret treaty with France in 1801 ceding Louisiana to France. France suddenly posed a potential threat to America. The fear was that if America did not purchase New Orleans from France, it could lead to war. The change of ownership from Spain to France resulted in the closure of the ports warehouses to Americans, and it was feared that France would move to cut off Americas access to the port entirely. Jefferson sent envoys to France to try to secure the purchase of New Orleans. Instead, they returned with an agreement to buy the entire Louisiana Territory as Napoleon needed money for the impending war against England. Importance of the Louisiana Purchase With the purchase of this new territory, the land area of America nearly doubled. However, the exact southern and western boundaries were not defined in the purchase. America would have to work with Spain to negotiate the specific details of these boundaries. When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led a small expeditionary group called the Corps of Discovery into the territory, this was just the beginning of Americas fascination with exploring the West. Whether or not America had a Manifest Destiny to span from sea to sea as was often the rallying cry of the early to mid-19th century, its desire to control this territory cannot be denied. Sources â€Å"Louisiana Purchase, The.†Ã‚  Monticello, Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/louisiana-lewis-clark/the-louisiana-purchase/.Mullen, Pierce. â€Å"Financing the Purchase.†Ã‚  Discovering Lewis Clark ®, Lewis Clark Fort Mandan Foundation, Lewis Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, and the National Park Service Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, www.lewis-clark.org/article/316.

How to Report Voting Rights Problems

How to Report Voting Rights Problems Due to the protections of four federal voting rights laws, cases of qualified voters being improperly denied their right to vote or register to vote are now rare. However, in every major election, some voters are still improperly turned away from the polling place, or encounter conditions that voting difficult or confusing. Some of these incidents are accidental, others are intentional, but all should be reported. What Should be Reported? Any action or condition you feel prevented or was intended to prevent you from voting. Just few examples include; polls opening late or closing early, running out of ballots or having your identity or voter registration status improperly challenged. Any action or condition you feel made it difficult for you to vote, including but not limited to; lack of handicapped accessibility and accommodation, lack of assistance for people with limited English ability, confusing ballots, lack of privacy while voting, generally unhelpful or unknowledgeable poll workers or officials. How to Report Voting Problems If you experience any problem or confusion while voting report the situation to one of the poll workers or election officials immediately. Do not wait until you have finished voting. If the election officials at the polling place are unable or unwilling to help you, the problem should be reported directly to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. There are no special forms to use or procedures to followjust call the Civil Rights Division toll-free at (800) 253-3931, or contact them by mail at: Chief, Voting SectionCivil Rights Division Room 7254 - NWBDepartment of Justice950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.Washington, DC 20530 The Department of Justice also has the authority to station federal election observers and monitors in polling places considered to present a potential for discrimination or other voting rights violations. The jurisdiction of DOJ election observers is not limited to federal-level elections. They may be dispatched to monitor elections for any position, anywhere in the nation, from President of the United states to city dogcatcher. Any observed potential violations of the Voting Rights Act, or any other action determined by the observers to be an attempt to influence certain voters or to prevent them from voting will be reported to the DOJs Civil Rights Division for further corrective action. In the Nov. 2006 elections, the Department of Justice sent 850 Civil Rights Division election monitors to 69 jurisdictions in 22 states.

The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries

The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries If a country is landlocked, it is likely to be poor. In fact, most countries that lack coastal access are among the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and their inhabitants occupy the â€Å"bottom billion† tier of the worlds population in terms of poverty.* Outside Europe, there is not a single successful, highly developed, landlocked country when measured with the  Human Development Index  (HDI), and most of the countries with the lowest HDI scores are landlocked. Export Costs Are High The  United Nations  has an Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States. The UN-OHRLLS holds the view that high transport costs due to distance and terrain detract from landlocked countries’ competitive edge for exports.   Landlocked countries that do attempt to participate in the global economy must contend with the administrative burden of transporting goods through neighboring countries or must pursue costly alternatives to shipping, such as air-freight. The Wealthiest Landlocked Countries However, despite the challenges that most landlocked countries face, a few of the world’s wealthiest countries, when measured by GDP per capita (PPP), happen to be landlocked, including: Luxembourg ($92,400)Liechtenstein ($89,400)Switzerland ($55,200)San Marino ($55,000)Austria ($45,000)Andorra ($37,000) Strong and Stable Neighbors There are several factors that have contributed to the success of these landlocked countries. First, they are simply more geographically fortunate than most other landlocked countries by virtue of being located in Europe, where no country is very far from a coast. Furthermore, the coastal neighbors of these wealthy countries enjoy strong economies, political stability, internal peace, reliable infrastructure and friendly relations across their borders. Luxembourg, for example, is well-connected to the rest of Europe by roads, railways, and airlines and can count on being able to export goods and labor through Belgium, the Netherlands, and France almost effortlessly. In contrast, Ethiopia’s nearest coasts are across borders with Somalia and Eritrea, which are usually beset with political turmoil, internal conflict, and poor infrastructure. The political boundaries that separate countries from coasts are not as meaningful in Europe as they are in the developing world. Small Countries Europe’s landlocked powerhouses also benefit from being smaller countries with longer legacies of independence. Nearly all of the landlocked countries of Africa, Asia, and South America were at one time colonized by European powers that were attracted to their vast size and plentiful natural resources. Even when they gained independence, most landlocked economies remained dependent on natural resource exports. Tiny countries like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Andorra do not have the option of relying on natural resource exports, so they have invested heavily in their financial, technology, and service sectors. To remain competitive in these sectors, wealthy landlocked countries invest heavily in the education of their populations and enact policies that encourage business. International companies like eBay and Skype maintain European headquarters in Luxembourg because of its low taxes and friendly business climate. Poor landlocked countries, on the other hand, have been known to invest very little into education, sometimes in order to protect authoritarian governments, and they are plagued by corruption that keeps their populations poor and bereft of public services – all of which precludes international investment. Helping Landlocked Countries While it may appear that geography has condemned many landlocked countries to poverty, efforts have been made to soften the limitations posed by a lack of sea-access through policy and international cooperation. In 2003, the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries on Transit Transport Cooperation was held in  Almaty, Kazakhstan. Participants designed a Program of Action, recommending that landlocked countries and their neighbors, Reduce customs processes and fees to minimize costs and transport delaysImprove infrastructure with respect to existing preferences of local transport modes, with a focus of roads in Africa and rail in South AsiaImplement preferences for landlocked countries’ commodities to boost their competitiveness in the international marketEstablish relationships between donor countries with landlocked and transit countries for technical, financial, and policy improvements Were these plans to succeed, politically-stable, landlocked countries could feasibly overcome their geographical barriers, as Europe’s landlocked countries have done. * Paudel. 2005, p. 2.

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry - Essay Example Using PEST-L analysis to prepare for strategic plans in taking advantage of opportnities in the external environment and addressing eminent threats, one understands that the consumers of the pharmaceutical industry are patients who need the drugs and medications to address various health concerns. As the prices of medicines were highly dependent on the amount, level and extent of research and development, consumers have no control nor say on the strategies involving prices. As shown in the chart on one of the branded prescription drugs marketed in the U.S., when compared to other areas around the world, the chart would reveal that the price of Lipitor was highest in the U.S.. Buyer power, is therefore considered restricted and limited as it is highly dependent of the prices dictated by drug manufacturers. In addition, the demographic profile of consumers affect and influence strategies designed by drug manufacturers as these profiles affect the demand and purchase of the products. As disclosed from the case, ageing population significantly affect the stragies designed since consumers from this age range more frequently buy drugs than those from the younger age ranges. Therefore, aside from considering the prices of this drugs to ensure that they could be afforded by the older generation, strategies would also consider the media by which products are advertised and promoted; the availability of substitutes, as emphasized in Porter’s threat of substitutes; and the manner by which these products are distributed and made available to the consumers. Political factors could be closely evaluated using the PEST-L analysis where laws and regulations impact on the industry’s operations and performance; as well as in the development of strategies. As the industry was characterized to be â€Å"subjected to rigorous regulatory scrutiny† (Holland, 2010, p. 548), the length required for clinical trials to ensure safety and security of consumers are considerably long. Further, the patent protection of 20 years also influence strategies of manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs since upon expiry, the threat of entry from generic drug manufacturers rise and significantly affect the level of sustained demand and consumer purchase. Legal factors encompass laws in terms of government controls on pricing and the extensive efforts taken into consideration from discovery and clinical trials to approval and final marketing. The imposition of parallel trade strategies in response to price control have influenced the global pharmaceutic al industry in terms of protecting not only drug manufacturers but moreso the consumers who get to evaluate significant price differentials as drugs could be sourced from other low priced markets. The implication for this is that international health organizations, like the World Health Organization, must monitor and address pricing strategies of global pharmaceutical companies to ensure uniform standards and benefits are accorded on a universal perspective. In an article written by Shah (2010), the author clearly cited Stiglitz work which